Before sunrise during Chhath, folk songs drift across the Ganges as women stand waist-deep near the ghats, lifting baskets of fruit toward the first light. The river keeps the city talking the rest of the year too, with boatmen calling out rides and families chatting on the steps.
Away from the water, the climb up the Golghar granary shows rooftops running toward the river, and the ruins at Kumhrar recall the Mauryan capital that stood here. Summers are fierce and humid, the monsoon lasts until September, and winter brings foggy mornings. A Local Friend can open doors you would not knock on yourself, from a quiet lane in Patna City to the litti stall their family swears by.
